Re: [2.6 patch] don't allow users to set CONFIG_BROKEN=y

[Adrian Bunk <bunk@stusta.de>]

On Fri, Jan 06, 2006 at 01:11:17PM -0800, David Lang wrote:
> On Fri, 6 Jan 2006, Adrian Bunk wrote:
>...
> >>- Being able to easily enable it in menuconfig, then browse through
> >>the menus to look for something matching your hardware is nice, even
> >>if that something is marked BROKEN at least you've then found a place
> >>to start working on. A lot simpler than digging through directories.
> >
> >Our menus are mostly made for _users_.
> 
> true, but do you really want to raise the barrier for users to test 
> things? or do you intend to have a bunch of patches that remove BROKEN for 
> a config option so that people can test them during the -rc and then add 
> it back for them all before a real release?

If an option is untested it's EXPERIMENTAL.
If it's broken it's BROKEN.

If an option is marked as BROKEN but works fine for you please send a 
bug report.

> >The more common are users accidentially enabling CONFIG_BROKEN and then
> >wondering why a driver isn't compiling or working.
> >
> >And in my experience, when searching whether hardware might be supported
> >a grep through the kernel sources brings you more than reading often
> >outdated Kconfig help texts. Besides this, a BROKEN driver usually has
> >the same value for the user as a non-existing driver.
> 
> it depends on how broken something really is, in some cases you are 
> correct, in others you aren't.

It's so broken that a devloper said EXPERIMENTAL is not enough, users 
should really not see it. Often the developer additionall added an 
#error to the driver.

>...
> >If you know the driver is marked as BROKEN and if you want to use it
> >despite this, editing the Kconfig file is trivial.
> >
> >Unless you _really_ know what you are doing, no driver for your hard
> >disk is better than a broken driver.
> 
> for your hard drive you are probably right, but does this always apply for 
> your network card? or your sound card?
>...

It might be marked as BROKEN because it crashes the kernel.

But well, the common case is that the code marked as BROKEN simply 
doesn't compile.

> David Lang

cu
Adrian

-- 

       "Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
        of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
       "Only a promise," Lao Er said.
                                       Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed